Cloud Computing: Amazon courts startups with $100000 challenge

Grazed from GigaOM. Author: Barb Darrow.

Are you a startup working on big data/high performance computing; gaming; consumer or business applications? Do you want $50,000? If so, Amazon has a challenge for you.

Amazon Web Services and startups have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly, and Amazon wants it to stay that way. Toward that end the cloud services giant launched its sixth annual AWS Global Start-Up Challenge on Friday…

For this round, Amazon seeks companies attacking big data and high-performance computing; gaming; consumer applications and business applications. The winners in eachcategory will get $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in AWS credits and services for a year. But the competition also brings exposure both to the media and to potential investors. Last year’s finalists met with VC firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, NEA, Accel and Madrona Venture Group, according to AWS….

Read more from the source @ http://gigaom.com/cloud/for-the-sixth-year-amazon-courts-startups-with-100000-challenge/